2018 TELECAST WILL MARK STAND UP TO CANCER’S TEN YEARS OF MAKING AN IMPACT IN GROUNDBREAKING CANCER RESEARCH
LIVE, ONE-HOUR FUNDRAISING EVENT TO AIR SIMULTANEOUSLY ON
MORE THAN 20 BROADCAST AND CABLE NETWORKS IN CANADA FEATURING CANADA-SPECIFIC CONTENT & OVER 30 NETWORKS IN THE U.S.
AT 8:00 PM ET/PT, 7:00 PM CT
With a dazzling array of top talent, the show will air Friday, September 7, (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT, 7:00 PM CT), marking 10 years since the first telecast and 10 years of lifesaving research achievements by SU2C.
Bradley Cooper, Academy Award®-nominated actor, will return as co-executive producer along with the renowned live-event producing team Done + Dusted, working again with the Stand Up To Cancer production team, after a successful partnership for the 2016 telecast.
For the third time, Stand Up To Cancer Canada will simultaneously broadcast a Canada-inclusive, commercial-free telecast across four major English-language Canadian broadcasters: CBC, City, CTV, and Global, as well as Canadian services AMI, A.Side, BBC Earth, CHCH, CHEK, Cottage Life, Fight Network, Game TV, HIFI, Hollywood Suite, Love Nature, Makeful, NTV,OUTtv, Smithsonian Channel Canada, T+E, YES TV, in addition to streaming live on the CBC TV App, cbc.ca/watch and CBS All Access, and available on-demand on TELUS Optik TV in Canada.
The live telecast will broadcast from Los Angeles. As in years past, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, along with AT&T AUDIENCE Network, Bloomberg TV, Bravo, Discovery Life, E! Entertainment, EPIX, Escape, ESPNEWS, FM, Freeform, FS2, FXM, FYI, HBO, HBO Latino, ION Television, Laff, Logo, MLB Network, MTV2, Nat Geo WILD, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, Starz, Starz Encore, Starz Encore Español, TNT, and WGN America, are also donating one hour of simultaneous commercial-free primetime for the telecast, with additional networks to be announced. The entire telecast will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Hulu.
“It was truly inspiring to be part of the 2016 Stand Up To Cancer telecast and to stand beside Mitch Carbon, whose life was saved by participating in a clinical trial,” said SU2C Co-Executive Producer Bradley Cooper. “I am proud to return as co-executive producer to highlight the ten years of impact Stand Up To Cancer has made in cancer research.” Carbon, a pediatric cancer survivor, benefited from treatment he received in an SU2C-St. Baldrick’s Foundation Pediatric Cancer Dream Team clinical trial.
Hundreds of celebrities have supported the SU2C biennial telecasts over the past ten years, and names of participants as well as musical performers for the 2018 telecast will be announced in the weeks leading up to the telecast. Stars who have taken part in the previous five SU2C telecasts include Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Mike Myers, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Will Arnett, Tom Hanks, Ken Jeong, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Halle Berry, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Alba, Robert Downey, Jr., Jon Hamm, America Ferrera, Taylor Swift, Anna Kendrick, Ben Stiller, Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Kristen Wiig, Ed Helms, Sofia Vergara, Dave Franco, Matt Bomer, and Sonequa Martin-Green. The 2016 telecast featured musical performances from Celine Dion, Charlie Puth, Alessia Cara and Gallant, as well as Dierks Bentley, who was joined by Keith Urban and Little Big Town.
Following five historic fundraising telecasts, the 2018 telecast is especially significant for SU2C, as it will commemorate ten years of raising awareness and funds for groundbreaking cancer research that is helping to save lives now.
More than USD$480 million has been pledged over the past ten years in support of SU2C’s innovative cancer research. Work by SU2C researchers has contributed to FDA approval of five new cancer treatments.
The organization has brought together more than 1,500 of the best scientists from over 180 leading institutions to work together on 24 of Stand Up To Cancer’s signature “Dream Teams,” among a total of 79 team science grants and awards whose research is aimed at ending cancer’s reign as a leading cause of death worldwide. More than 90 researchers from 15 institutions across Canada are engaged in six SU2C Canada and SU2C Dream Teams and two additional team science grants. SU2C-funded researchers have planned, launched or completed more than 180 clinical trials involving over 12,000 patients.
SU2C’s vast scientific program is overseen by a blue-ribbon Scientific Advisory Committee of top researchers, and most grants are administered by SU2C’s Scientific Partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research.
Two out of five Canadians are expected to develop cancer in their lifetimes, and an estimated nine Canadians will die of the disease every hour of every day. In fact, more Canadians die of cancer than of any other cause.
“Ten years ago, a group of women who were honestly hell-bent on making a difference in the fight against cancer came together,” said Katie Couric. “I never imagined we’d be able to look back at the past decade and see the concept of scientists working together in new ways take off as it has. We are closer than we’ve ever been to realizing a world where everyone diagnosed with cancer can be a long-term survivor. I am excited about how much more we will be able to do for patients over the next 10 years.”
“Stand Up To Cancer is unique in the philanthropic world in its ability to galvanize so many members of the entertainment and media communities and harness their time, talent, and resources to the fight against cancer,” said Lisa Paulsen, chair of the Stand Up To Cancer Canada board, a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer, and co-executive producer of the telecast.” SU2C and its celebrity and industry supporters can shine a massive spotlight on the cause and benefits for patients.”
“We are so grateful to the many broadcast and cable services in Canada that continue to stand with us,” said Sherry Lansing, the former chair and current member of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) board and a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer. “Their support is a springboard that helps SU2C engage major donors as well as countless individuals who give what they can to help stop cancer in its tracks.”
In addition to Couric, Paulsen and Lansing, current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, Ellen Ziffren, and Kathleen Lobb. The late Noreen Fraser and the late Laura Ziskin, who executive-produced both the 2008 and 2010 telecasts, were also SU2C co-founders. SU2C was formally launched on May 27, 2008 in the United States, with SU2C Canada launching in 2013. Sung Poblete, Ph.D., R.N., has served as SU2C’s president since 2011.
“The Done + Dusted family is super thrilled to partner once again with our friends at Stand Up To Cancer and our amazing co-executive producer, Bradley Cooper. The SU2C roadblock is the biggest of its kind and is a remarkable platform for bringing together the worlds of science and entertainment in a harmonious collaboration to spread the message and raise funds for groundbreaking cancer research. I was truly humbled by my involvement two years ago. Watch the show and get engaged,” said Hamish Hamilton, director and executive producer at Done + Dusted. Hamilton directed the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show starring Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and many others, and has received two BAFTA Awards, a Peabody Award, and both Grammy and Emmy Award nominations.
“Stand Up To Cancer is the leading edge of the best science anywhere, innovating cancer research through collaboration across Canada, with researchers throughout the United States and beyond,” stated Alan Bernstein, O.C., O.Ont., Ph.D., FRSC, co-chair of the Stand Up To Cancer Canada Scientific Advisory Committee and president of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Canada’s global research institute.
“Stand Up To Cancer continues to represent the best dollar spent on cancer research,” said Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., the MIT molecular biologist who is co-chairman of the SU2C Canada Scientific Advisory Committee, as well as chairman of the SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee. “The teamwork and collaboration that characterizes SU2C research is critical to our efforts to change cancer as we know it.” Sharp received the Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology in 1993 for his discoveries about RNA.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to harness the resources of the whole entertainment community to generate support for our scientists’ innovative research in order to get new treatments to the patients who so desperately need them,” said SU2C President and CEO Sung Poblete, Ph.D., R.N.
The previous five SU2C telecasts took place on Sept. 5, 2008, Sept. 10, 2010, Sept. 7, 2012, Sept. 5, 2014 and Sept. 9, 2016, and were made available to more than 190 countries. Canada-inclusive SU2C telecasts aired in 2014 and 2016.
In Canada, the AACR International-Canada serves as the official Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer Canada, which launched in 2013. AACR International-Canada is responsible for administering the grants and providing scientific oversight in conjunction with the SU2C Canada Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), co-chaired by Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Sharp.
In the U.S., the SU2C SAC is led by Dr. Phillip A. Sharp, as chair, and Vice Chairs Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., dean, College of Medicine, and professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston; Lee J. Helman, M.D., professor, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, and director, Cancer Research Program, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; Arnold J. Levine, Ph.D., professor emeritus of systems biology at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey; and William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore.
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are actively collaborating with SU2C Canada. CCS is also a collaborator in the inaugural Stand Up To Cancer Canada-Canadian Cancer Society Breast Cancer Dream Team, along with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR). Collaborators in the inaugural Stand Up To Cancer Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team include CIHR, Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, Genome Canada, and OICR. AstraZeneca Canada and MasterCard are the first corporate supporters of SU2C Canada.
As SU2C’s founding donor, Major League Baseball has continued to annually provide both financial support and countless opportunities to build the Stand Up To Cancer movement by encouraging fans worldwide to get involved, most notably through its two largest global events – the MLB All-Star Game and the World Series. In addition to MLB, SU2C’s “Luminary” donors include Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, and Mastercard. “Visionary” donors include CVS Health, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and the Sidney Kimmel Foundation. Additional major donors and collaborators include American Airlines, American Cancer Society, Merck, Rally Health, Inc., St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and Van Andel Research Institute. Other key supporters and collaborators include American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Farrah Fawcett Foundation, Laura Ziskin Family Trust, LUNGevity Foundation, National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, and international collaborator Cancer Research UK.
About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry’s resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about cancer prevention as well as progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C’s scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress.
Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, Ellen Ziffren, and Kathleen Lobb. The late Laura Ziskin and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Sung Poblete, Ph.D., RN, has served as SU2C’s president and CEO since 2011.
For more information on Stand Up To Cancer, visit StandUpToCancer.org.
About Stand Up To Cancer Canada
Stand Up To Cancer Canada is a Canadian registered charity (Reg: # 80550 6730 RR0001), founded by the U.S.-based Entertainment Industry Foundation in 2013. Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) raises funds to support collaborative cancer research teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted in Canada.
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are actively collaborating with SU2C Canada. CCS is also a collaborator in the inaugural Stand Up To Cancer Canada-Canadian Cancer Society Breast Cancer Dream Team, along with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR). Collaborators in the inaugural Stand Up To Cancer Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team include CIHR, Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, Genome Canada, and OICR. AstraZeneca Canada and MasterCard are the first corporate supporters of SU2C Canada.
For more information on Stand Up To Cancer Canada, visit www.standup2cancer.ca.
About the Entertainment Industry Foundation
Founded in 1942, the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) is a multifaceted organization that occupies a unique place in the world of philanthropy. By mobilizing and leveraging the powerful voice and creative talents of the entertainment industry, as well as cultivating the support of organizations (public and private) and philanthropists committed to social responsibility, EIF builds awareness and raises funds, developing and enhancing programs on the local, national and global level that facilitate positive social change. For more information, visit www.eifoundation.org.
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 40,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and patient advocates residing in 120 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 30 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 22,600 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients, and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration, and scientific oversight of team science and individual investigator grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and other policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org
Media Contacts:
ID PR Sheri Goldberg 212-334-0333 su2c@id-pr.com
Rubenstein PR Adam Miller 212-843-8032 amiller@rubenstein.com
